PERAMBALUR: Claiming no consultation talks as having been held with them, residents of Bhujangarayanallur in Alathur taluk of the district oppose the project for three irrigation branch canals from the under-construction Kottarai dam passing through the village. The canals branching from the main irrigation canal would pass close to residential areas, causing various problems like having to demolish houses, they said.
While work on the dam across river Marudaiyaru at Kottarai in Alathur taluk to improve irrigation in rain-fed lands is nearing completion, the formation of its main irrigation canal is in progress. From it, three branch canals have been planned to pass through Bhujangarayanallur. Despite a majority of the 250 families in the village into farming, residents oppose the branch canals as they say that it would not only pose problems to houses and buildings but that it would also affect the borewells in the area which they use to irrigate their fields.
They also said that residents were not consulted on the project. On April 28, a section of the villagers also submitted a petition with the Alathur tahsildar and the Collectorate seeking to do away with the branch canal project. M Senthilkumar, a resident and one among those who submitted the petition, said, "The authorities are going to commence formation of the branch canals based on a survey taken 25 years ago. We are currently farming with the water from borewells. As the Marudaiyaru passes close to the village, there is no water problem to the rain-fed lands here.”
Mentioning the officials concerned as not having held any consultation talks on the branch canals with the villagers, he added, “We learnt that the canals will pass here only after a notice in a newspaper. There are houses, borewells and an anganwadi building very close to the branch canal site. We will be severely affected if they are formed." Another resident, S Ramachandran, said the branch canals would make it an unsafe environment for children and cattle.
“If the work commences, houses and the anganwadi centre will have to be demolished. There is also no space here to build a new one," he added. When contacted, PWD Executive Engineer (Perambalur) V Velmurugan told TNIE, "We conducted a survey during the beginning of the project and recently for the formation of branch canals in Bhujangarayanallur. According to information available with us, there are no houses or other buildings near the site. We would, however, ascertain it."